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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · board · kick · capital · shower · jam · straw · foot

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. capital — money
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. board — to get on
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rock — music
  15. capital — a city
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — rain
  19. foot — a measure
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. board — a committee
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com